One of the pervasive beliefs we hold today is that before 1492 the North American continent was a vast, and mostly uninhabited, wilderness. It wasn't. Hundreds of Indian nations existed here before the European settlers came. From the Arctic, across what is now Canada and down through the United State and Mexico and the Caribbean, lived what some estimate to have been forty million people, speaking perhaps six hundred distinct languages. Because the American Indians live in harmony with nature, some of their most important contributions have been agricultural, botanical and herbal. Seven thousand years ago, American Indians (primarily women) were farming. By 1000 AD, they had domesticated corn, beans, potatoes, maize and squash in a complex and highly developed agricultural system, which included irrigation and water-conservation practices, as well as cultivating different varieties of produce. American Indians also grew and used medicinal herbs and had a vast knowledge of their properties and uses for thousands of years. It is estimated that North American Indians alone had medicinal uses for 2,564 species of plants. Early Spanish explorers took samples of medicinal plants back to Europe where they became part of the pharmacopoeia, and British colonists quickly adapted to using plant remedies such as Foxglove and Lady's Slipper when they observed their efficacy in the Indian population. Over 200 Indian plant remedies became part of the U.S. Pharmacopoeia, first authorized in 1837. Because of their knowledge of the plants, animals and habitats of the world around them, and the philosophy that sustained them - their belief in the connections among all things - American Indians practiced for thousands of years the science that we know as ecology. Living in harmony with nature, American Indians have shown us how to be responsible for our environment, to treasure the beauty and resources of the land and water, and to preserve them for generations to come. There are many more significant contributions than what we have mentioned here. In conclusion, there have been, and continue to be many notable contributions of American Indians to the United States and indeed, to the world. Tribes and Indian organizations are helping us to recognize these gifts and the ways in which they have influenced us. As they grow stronger, we all benefit, because as American Indians are teaching us, we are all connected.